OAT’s staff share some of the things they treasure about Oregon - food, the natural landscape, and the farming and ranching community - as they reflect on the new year.
Alice Williamson, Farmland Program Director
The diversity of Oregon’s farms is incredible - the variety of acreages, products, and farming practices seems infinite some days. According to the Oregon Farm Bureau, over 250 agricultural products are grown in our state. In 2022, I’m looking forward to spending more time walking and talking with all sorts of farmers throughout the Willamette Valley, Mid-Columbia and North Coast.
I’m especially excited to engage more deeply with Oregon’s vineyards and orchards. With long-lived perennial crops, these farmers may make daily decisions that will impact production a decade down the road. I personally am a huge fan of Oregon’s apple growers, who again embody the essence of Oregon in the variety of their products. Kiyokawa Family Orchards in Parkdale and their extensive list of apples are particularly impressive and a frequent treat for me and my family.
My hopes for 2022 are: more face time with Oregon’s farmers, more fresh produce in my fridge and more meaningful conversations about the future of Oregon’s bountiful farms.
Marc Hudson, Rangeland Program Director
Pho is perfect for unfavored beef cuts. Boil beef broth with a little ginger, fish sauce, onion, cloves and coriander and pour over whatever beef cut you want - sliced super thin. Add basil, bean sprouts and chili according to taste.
Prior to 2014 I had a world of health problems, ranging from constant fatigue, stomach cramps, neuropathy, and facial paralysis, just to name a few. I found out I had celiac disease, and as it often goes with that disease, severe malnutrition. I was set up with a dietitian who took one look at my chart - deficiencies in iron, fatty acids, B12 and folic acid - and said, “this is gonna sound weird, but every morning for breakfast I want you to eat some rough vegetables and a big, old chunk of fatty beef, the more offal the better.” The small intestine, which is damaged by celiac disease, absorbs the nutrients that we gain from proteins and fats, and to overcome my deficiencies in that area it was beef steaks for breakfast for a while. When that got old, I entered my whole-animal eating-habit, and branched out into the world of hearts, brains, hooves and tails.
It’s appropriate then that I give back to the industry and producers who create the product that helped put me on the road to recovery by working with ranchers in Southeast Oregon. I look forward to working more towards preserving the ranching way of life that is the bedrock of that region.
If you’re interested in eating the whole animal, start slowly - not many dive right into beef head barbacoa or cow-nose soup - explore some braised oxtails, fried kidney or my favorite, beef heart anticuchos.
Michelle Wood, Development Manager
As a newly-minted Oregon resident, I spent 2021 trying to learn about Oregon agricultural regions, communities, and products by jumping at every driving and meeting opportunity. Growing up in the D.C. area, with suburbs that bleed into one another along I-95, has led me to be in a near-constant state of awe of the land use planning laws in Oregon that keep views outside of urban areas beautiful and help protect agricultural land.
I’m a big fan of blueberries, and now that I live in the state that ranks #4 in their production (World Atlas), they have quickly become a staple in my diet. One of my favorite summer drives this year was through the Hood River fruit loop with my parents when they visited. We loved jumping out of the car at different stands along the way to snack on fruit and other goodies, and I loved making some delicious blueberry pancakes the following week.
In 2022, I’m looking forward to attending more events in the ag community and meeting producers across the state, as well as launching OAT’s membership program!
Nellie McAdams, Executive Director
As a third-generation Oregon hazelnut farmer, I love what our family farm grows. Oregon is the #1 producer of hazelnuts of all US states, with the Willamette Valley in particular producing 99% of US hazelnuts.
However, the US only produces 3-5% of the world’s hazelnuts. Like many ag commodity growers, we are price takers, not price makers. But our industry is fortunate that the quality and brand of Oregon hazelnuts allows us to demand a premium for our product.
With my family’s embarrassment of riches, we normally just eat hazelnuts by the handful as snacks. But I also enjoy adding them to a crumble (see Cynthia’s blackberry crumble recipe below), salad, or as a crunchy topping for salmon - click here for a salmon recipe with mustard and tarragon.
This year, the drought and heat dome diminished the size and quality of our crop, and the weeks of fall rain made it difficult for us to operate our harvest equipment - forcing us to leave nuts unharvested in 10% of our orchards. In 2022, I’m hoping for a more plentiful harvest than in 2021. I’m also looking forward to implementing OAT’s strategic conservation plan to protect properties in our four focal areas, and building our Education Program. Happy New Year!
Hiking at Silver Falls State Park
Diane Krautsack, Office Coordinator
Prior to moving to Oregon in 2017 I was living in Naples, Florida and it was hot! I was so excited to make the move to Oregon and the cooler temperatures. I have now lived in this beautiful state for almost 5 years and have come to love everything about Oregon. The beautiful landscapes, the wineries, the amazing hiking spots, the coast and yes even the rain! In 2021 I got offered a position to work for the Oregon Agricultural Trust as their Office Coordinator and was thrilled. I have fallen in love with Orgeon agriculture and am grateful to work for an organization that supports keeping Oregon's agricultural lands protected and supports keeping farmers farming. I myself grew up in Georgia and am from a small farming town. Now moving into 2022 I plan to support OAT and their staff so they can do what they do best and support Oregon farmers and ranchers.
On a personal level I plan to get out more in 2022 with my son and hike Oregon's beautiful hiking spots! I recently moved from Eugene to Salem and am ready to explore my new home town. One of my favorite hiking spots my son and I love is Silver Falls State Park. It is a great hiking spot for little ones and families. Kaden and I go there regularly and enjoy the beautiful waterfalls. Kaden especially loves the playground. In the hotter months there is even a swimming area!
I am looking forward to new hiking adventures with my son, exploring my new Salem community and learning more about Oregon’s agriculture in 2022.
Cynthia Lopez, Grants and Communications Manager
In 2021 I had the opportunity to meet farmers and ranchers around Oregon and talk with them about why they farm and/or ranch, the need for ag land protection, and what they would want the general public to know about their work. It was incredibly rewarding to learn about their experiences and share their stories.
Blackberries are one of my favorite foods. Growing up in Washington, one of my favorite summer occupations was eating blackberries while procrastinating my chores. I am very thankful for the perseverance of the blackberry growers in the Willamette Valley like Jacque Duyck Jones, who shared her story of the heat dome with us. I would not want to live without blackberry pies, scones, and cobblers!
I am looking forward to the fresh start, inspiration and energy of entering a new year, and to hopefully meeting more of the OAT community in person in 2022.